ROME — Germany’s Rheinmetall has loaned a Lynx tracked vehicle to the Italian army to test, as Italy prepares to sign a half-billion euro contract ($513 million) for a first batch of the vehicles by mid-2025.
The Lynx fighting vehicle was shipped on Dec. 30 to the Italian army’s Montelibretti testing facility near Rome, where it will be put through its paces by experts from the army and from Italian defense giant Leonardo.
“Army engineers and testers will get to know the Lynx and carry out a series of evaluations to test the mobility, protection, fire power and interoperability of the vehicle,” the Italian army said in a statement.
“The loan shows the speed with which the deal is being managed and is also a sign of goodwill to the Italian army,” a source knowledgeable of the arrangement told Defense News.
As it replaces old vehicles and keeps up with NATO requirements, Italy plans to acquire 1,050 new fighting vehicles based on Rheinmetall’s Lynx in a €15 billion program, with the first to be delivered in two years.
The Italian army will also buy 280 tanks based on Rheinmetall’s under-development Panther KF51 in an €8 billion euro program with the first tank planned for delivery in two and a half to three years.
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In October, Rheinmetall and Italy’s Leonardo announced a new joint venture through which they will team on development and construction of both vehicles, with the Italian firm contributing armaments and electronics to create Italianized versions of the vehicles.
The Lynx KF41 loaned to the Italian army hails from Hungary, which is the only previous buyer of the vehicle.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity while discussing ongoing deliberations, told Defense News the joint venture would likely be up and running by the end of January, with the first contract for a first batch of Italy-configuration fighting vehicles the next step.
Worth about half a billion euros, the contract could be signed with Italy’s defense ministry by the summer, the source said.
“If things move fast, the first contract for tanks could be signed this year,” the source added.
Leonardo and Rheinmetall have said they see export potential for the Italian-version vehicles, beyond purchases from Rome.
In an interview with German publication Börsen Zeitung in December, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger predicted the joint venture would see orders worth €50 billion over the next ten years.
Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.
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